As all you awesome readers know, my blog is ultimately about
fashion but another sub section within fashion, is indeed, beauty! I was
rifling through my cosmetics drawer and day-to-day essentials and whilst
admiring my faithful beauty products I thought - why not share with you all the
things that I would take with me if I was allowed only 9 items, while deserted
on an island. So here they are:
1.
Girl
Aloud eyelashes (Nicola) – I must
admit I had been resisting the idea of wearing false eyelashes for a while. I
had been tempted by the concept of false eyelashes but was afraid that the
wrong choice would result in me looking like Miss Piggy’s long lost cousin –
elaborate, OTT, extravagant lashes that looked super false. I was out on one of
many shopping trips of mine when I came across these lashes! The whole range
was displayed and trying to pick one was a tricky ordeal! The thing that I
loved about the collection was that they all looked so natural. I’d heard good
reviews about the Girls Aloud collection from several sources so when I came
across them I took the plunge! I chose Nicola’s lashes because like Nicola, I
am a natural red head. The explanation for me choosing Nicola’s lashes is no
more interesting than that, it was extremely hard to choose! I finally tried
the lashes and loved them!
☆
The lashes were really quick and easy to apply. They came with a generous tube
of glue and a lanyard (a random gift but could be of use to some
people..maybe?).
☆ One of my worries about wearing lashes was that they
would feel unnatural, like having a massive butterfly wing stuck to your
eyelid. Despite my worries of transforming into an insect, the lashes were
unexpectedly lightweight and I barely noticed they were there!
Me wearing Nicola's lashes on an evening out!
Overall Nicola’s Girls Aloud
lashes are fantastic and are great for an evening out or for day-to-day use. I
wore mine with smokey eyes which complimented the lashes well but the lashes
looked subtle solo! You can buy these lashes in almost any beauty store; Boots,
Superdrug etc.
2.
Max Factor Xperience Foundation
– After years of hopeful searching I’d failed to find the perfect foundation.
My skin tone is exceptionally fair, with thanks to my red hair, it leans
towards the palest tones that foundation brands produce. My common problem was
finding a foundation that was pale enough to suit my skin tone without me
looking like a complete ghost or seriously ill. After I had tried endless
samples and attacked every beauty section of every beauty store, I was near to
giving up. I approached Max Factor’s section with little faith due to my past
misfortune and begun to rifle through their foundations. I came across their Xperience
version of foundation in light ivory. A
few years later I am still, to this day, faithfully using Xperience in light
ivory and continue to be satisfied all this time later!
☆
I realize that most of you reading this post will not
have quite as fair a skin tone as mine but fear not because Xperience produces
a spectrum of different colours for varieties of skin tones! Their
other colours include; Raw Silk, Beige Linen, Dark Gypsum and Deep Soapstone.
Aside from the odd choices of names Xperience foundation is light and natural.
☆ Unlike most other foundations, Xperience gives you a
youthful glow.
☆ It’s priced at £9.99 at
Boots (UK), a reasonable price and lasts for a long time. You only need a
small, pea-sized amount per application.
☆ It has
fantastic coverage and gives you a flawless finish!
3. Lancôme Hypnôse Mascara
Volume – Gifted in with a fragrance set that I
bought from Lancôme, I can honestly say that I would marry this mascara. Admittedly
if it weren’t for the fact that it was packaged in with a gift set, I probably wouldn’t
have been attracted to the range of Lancôme mascaras because let’s face it,
their above average prices aren’t exactly appealing. However, after several
years of going through brands of cheaper mascaras that seemed to have that
‘clumpy’ effect once applied, I have seen the bright side – Lancôme mascaras!
Hopefully my mascara will have a long life but once its time has come I can’t
wait to explore Lancôme’s shelves to see what other mascaras they have to
offer! Although they are pricier they are definitely worth the extra few
pounds!
☆ The mascara gives you the option of a more natural or
dramatic look, depending on how many coats you apply! Not only does the mascara
give you volume but is also gives your lashes the length that we all need and
want from a mascara!
☆ The mascara leaves your
lashes nicely defined and be assured your days of clumpy lashes are over!
4.
Dior Addict
Lipstick –Only over the past few months have I been using brighter lipstick.
Before this point I hadn’t really been brave enough to try the striking bold
colours that seemed to be the trend in the lipstick brands. I’d always adopted
the subtle colours; the baby pinks and nuder colours, basically all the colours
you can’t really see. My mother is a massive inspiration for me in all aspects
of my life, one of the main aspects being beauty. She has an excellent eye for
make up and how to use it properly, so most (if not all) of my knowledge of
makeup and beauty products has stemmed from her. Never failing to wear flawless
makeup, my Mum also never fails to have a splash of colour smoothed across her
lips. Even in my earliest memories I can’t picture a time where she didn’t have
some ounce of colour. So, it should come as no surprise, seeing as she is my
ultimate inspiration (cute I know..), that I decided to give the bolder
lipstick colours a go. At first it looked a little theatrical, a little
courageous, my mouth was used to being bare.. it was going to take a little
adjusting. A couple of months later I am a frequent user of lipstick! Not just
any lipstick, however. Initially stolen from the depths of my mother’s makeup
drawer, my Dior lipstick is one of my 9 beauty essentials.
☆ The pinky-reddish shade of
the lipstick is bold without being too adventurous. Perfect for evening or
daily application.
☆ It has a long wear and isn’t
easily brushed off throughout the day.
☆ It has a matte finish but is also perfect when
partnered with some gloss coated over the top to achieve a different look.
5.
Vaseline – Where do
I start? This is the Queen of all lip balms, the saviour, the protector. In the
bitter winter winds, frosty mornings and in moments of having tragic chapped
lips, I turn to my best friend, Vaseline. Why do I love it so much?
☆ It’s cheap! Forget spending dozens of pounds on a good
lip balm product – Vaseline is the best you can get!
☆ Its glossy finish leaves
your lips nice and smooth.
☆ The cocoa butter flavour is
the best of the bunch in my opinion, not too sickly or overpowering.
☆ Quick lip repair! My lips
have been in utter despair but with a quick application of Vaseline they are
smooth and quick on the mend the next day!
6.
Rimmel
London Exaggerate Liner – After abandoning their version of pencil liner due
to looking like a panda after a few hours of wearing it, I decided to divert to
liquid liner. I can happily say that I’m glad I made the transition!
☆ 2It’s easy to apply with its
fine line brush.
☆ It lasts for hours, generally I never have to reapply
the liner and at the end of the day it looks as good as at the start.
7.
Simple
Wipes – It’s hard to find a good ‘all round’ make of wipes.
An ‘all round’ make of wipes should have enough moisture to fulfill its
purpose. There are way to many brands of wipes that barely have any moisture,
and as a result you feel like your scrubbing your face with a tissue. That’s where Simple wipes come into the
equation.
☆ They have the perfect
moisture so remove your makeup really well. The wipes are also really refreshing,
they aren’t scented which is perfect for my sensitive skin!
☆ They come in a compact dispenser, fitting nicely into
your handbag for on-the-go use!
The only bad thing about the wipes is that they run
out super fast! I use one wipe in the morning and in the evening, meaning that
I’m constantly needing to buy more. Maybe that ‘s just me though…
8.
Dior Addict
Lip Polish– Christmas came and one of the most fantastic
presents that I was given was my Dior lip gloss. I love my lipgloss for the
following reasons;
☆
I
use colour 003 which I love, it is subtle but also has enough colour to dress
your lips accordingly, going with almost any outfit/ look.
☆ It’s not sticky! One of my ultimate pet hates are
sticky lip glosses! Who needs hair and random fluffy bits sticking to your lips,
which throughout the course of a day make you look like you have a ‘lip-stashe’
– not hot let me tell you. This lip gloss has a zero sticky effect which means
no lip-stashe for me!
☆ The bottle is so cute making it a perfect dressing table
ornanment! Not really a constructive product evaluation I know, but it has to
be acknowledged!
☆ It smells good! I can’t
specifically compare the gloss’s smell to anything else I’ve come in contact
with. It has its own unique smell which is fresh and sweet!
9. No7 Pressed Powder - This is the newest of my beauty essentials,
the baby of the bunch. I actually alternate between my No7 powder and my Dior
loose powder depending on my destination. However, if I’m on the go, my No7
pressed powder is the way forward.
☆ It’s natural, so natural in fact you barely notice
that you’re wearing it! There’s nothing worse than a ‘heavy’ powder. By this I
mean a powder which makes you look caked, ruining your makeup all together. This
powder is light and natural making it a perfect powder for daily use!
☆
Coverage
is awesome. If you’re having a particularly ‘bad skin day’ with irritating
little spots cropping up here and there, one splash of this powder and you’ll
be asking, ‘what spots?’
So that’s it! Those are my 9 beauty essentials! I’d
love to hear what your 9 beauty essentials are!
